Introduction

Training costs are significant in any business. Measuring the effectiveness of training consumes valuable time and resources. Why should you evaluate your training programs?

  • To obtain and analyze feedback from learners/customers, e.g., their level of engagement or motivation about the training experience, content areas that were missing or environmental issues such as background noise that were disruptive;

  • select the best trainers and training strategies, e.g., instructor-led, computer-based, or blended;

  • To clarify training expectations for employees;

  • To identify gaps in knowledge, skills or attitude, e.g., whether learners were able to identify multiple energy sources and demonstrate skills to conduct Lockout/Tagout (LO/TO) at the end of training;

  • To identify whether observable behavior changes were transferred to the workplace, e.g., whether qualified electricians were able to perform LO/TO in the workplace 30 days after training or whether they could use an energized work permit on the job;

  • To provide an opportunity for management to assess employee development; and

  • justify and expand training budgets.

Evaluation allows you to further improve effective training programs and eliminate ineffective ones. Effective training implies an ability to connect employee training results to the business' bottom line or return on investment.

This content is only available via PDF.
You can access this article if you purchase or spend a download.